BOLZANO. It is a historically annoying coexistence between pedestrians and bicycles. It is in the city, even more so along the mountain paths, where every curve is a gamble. While hikers climb, downhill cyclists descend at full speed.
Often, not colliding is a matter of centimeters. It can go “well,” or not. Just Tuesday, a family’s vacation in Turin was shattered by one of the many accidents on so-called mixed trails: a 22-year-old South Tyrolean, riding his e-bike, hit a 6-year-old child in Obereggen.
He is still hospitalized in Bolzano and is alive by a miracle because the impact was very violent. Rules, in fact, do not exist. Neither for cohabitation – which in light of certain episodes proves impossible – nor for a limitation of electric bicycles.
“They are everywhere, we are aware of it. We must react and we will certainly do something”, comments the provincial councilor Luis Walcher. The Province will study the bans (without criminalizing an activity that brings in money and tourists), while mountaineering associations have been on the warpath for years. “There’s a huge business behind it,” explains Carlo Alberto Zanella, president of the Cai Alto Adige, “Hoteliers allow anyone to rent electric bicycles. As a result, our mountain paths are packed with inexperienced riders. You can see crowds of 15 people riding along very narrow paths. There are no signs and they wouldn’t be enough: tourists love to stay on small paths for the adrenaline rush. It’s only a matter of time for other tragedies to happen, unfortunately.”
«Too many risks»
The testimony of Peter Runggaldier is emblematic. From Brixen, 55, he is a former champion of Alpine skiing. Always in contact with risk, accustomed to falls, to the unexpected. After retiring, he reinvented himself as a guide for groups of skiers in the winter and for mountain bike enthusiasts in the summer. “But I decided to leave the two wheels behind,” he admits, “It’s too big a responsibility to take tourists around who pay and expect to do difficult routes, without even the slightest experience. Especially on the ups and downs: it’s a lottery. I’ve witnessed many falls and I told myself it was better to leave it alone.”
Times have changed quickly. When Runggaldier started working as a tour guide, about ten years ago, the e-bike trend was still in its infancy. “Electric bikes have allowed anyone to climb difficult routes, but then you notice that they don’t have the same manual skills as cyclists used to climbing passes. And so accidents increase,” he continues, “Now even pedestrians have to adapt to cyclists: unfortunately, with this “traffic”, you can no longer think of walking four in the same row. Everyone has to give something in order to be able to coexist.”
The modified bicycles
The situation is no different in the city. In fact, it is perhaps worse when it comes to electric bicycles. They can be seen racing around the streets and bike paths at the speed of cars. The municipal police are seeing a worrying increase in modified vehicles, which do not require a license, license plate or insurance. And in practice they are almost exempt from the law. “Stopping them is very complicated because they are unidentifiable and change direction as soon as they know they are being noticed by the police,” explains councilor Stefano Fattor. Of the 200 fines per year, most are located in closed spaces, for example in via Museo, where escaping is more difficult. “In this case we are not talking about moms and dads who use electric bikes instead of cars. But about young people, often equipped with much bigger tires than normal, who travel like mopeds,” concludes Fattor, “The same thing happens with scooters: they are increasing and terribly complicated to limit with the highway code currently in force.”
2024-09-06 05:11:32